close
close

topicnews · October 7, 2024

Nobody can arrest you via video call: Digital arrest fraud on the rise | Personal Finance

Nobody can arrest you via video call: Digital arrest fraud on the rise | Personal Finance

7 min read Last updated: Oct 07, 2024 | 1:04 p.m IS

Fraudsters duped an employee of an institute of the Ministry of Atomic Energy of Rs 71 lakh by using the modus operandi of ‘digital arrest’, a police official said in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on Friday. The fraudsters posed as Trai officials and accused the victim of sending illegal advertisements and text messages. The victim was threatened with an arrest warrant for money laundering and human trafficking. A fake CBI officer conducted an interrogation through video call, which instilled more fear in the victim. The victim believed the threats and deposited Rs 71.33 lakh into the accounts provided by the fraudsters.

Digital arrests are a new method of cyber fraud in which fraudsters make audio or video calls, impersonate police officers, and lock victims in their homes to defraud them.

Click here to connect with us via WhatsApp

The scammers falsely accuse individuals of committing crimes or violating the law and threaten them with arrest unless they pay a certain amount of money. These threats often involve forged legal documents or impersonating law enforcement officials.

“A member of the gang called the victim, who was working as a research assistant at Raja Ramanna Advanced Technology Center (RRCAT), on September 1 and introduced himself as an official of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). This fake Trai official claimed illegal advertisements and “text messages related to harassment of women were sent to people from Delhi through a SIM card issued in his name,” Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajesh Dandotia said.

“He informed the victim that a warrant had been issued for his arrest in a case related to money laundering and human trafficking. Another member of the gang posed as a CBI officer and conducted a fake interrogation of the RRCAT officer and his wife via video call. Out “Out of fear, he deposited Rs 71.33 lakh in various accounts provided by the accused,” Dandotia said

This is how the scam works:

Digital arrest is a cybercrime technique in which fraudsters send a text message or video call to a person posing as a law enforcement official and fraudulently claim that the person or their close family members are being arrested by a government investigative agency in a criminal case activities such as drug trafficking or money laundering were caught.

The cybercriminal then locks the person in their premises by asking them to keep their cell phone cameras on as part of a “digital arrest,” and then requests money via online transfer to free the victim from this situation.

A significant number of these new-age cybercrimes are reported practically on a daily basis from different parts of the country.

  • Contact: Victims receive calls, emails, or messages from scammers posing as law enforcement officers, attorneys, or government officials.

  • False Accusations: Victims are falsely accused of various crimes, such as money laundering, tax evasion, or nonpayment of loans.

  • Threats of Arrest: Scammers threaten victims with arrest, incarceration, or legal action if they do not pay a certain amount of money.

  • Urgency: Victims are often pressured to act quickly and make payment to avoid immediate arrest.

  • Payment Methods: Scammers typically request payments via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.

India’s Cyber ​​Crime Coordination Center on Saturday issued a public alert in connection with the increasing number of “digital arrest” crimes in India. In the statement, the panel said law enforcement agencies such as the CBI, Police, Customs, ED or judges do not conduct arrests through video calls and warned the public against falling prey to these ploys.

“Don’t panic, stay alert. CBI/Police/Customs/ED/Judges DO NOT arrest you via video call,” the notice issued on Saturday said.

The notice showed the logos of social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Skype to make it clear that calls for such scams are made via such platforms.

These social media platforms have stated in the past that they are working with government cybersecurity authorities to provide users with greater security from such crimes.

The I4C urged people to report such crimes on the central helpline number 1930 or on the website www.cybercrime.gov.in.


The Legality of Digital Arrests in India

There is no legal regulation for law enforcement to conduct “arrests” via video calls or online surveillance. If you receive such calls, it is clearly a scam. In fact, the new criminal laws recently passed do not provide any regulation for the conduct of digital arrests by law enforcement agencies. The law only provides for service of the summons and process in electronic form.

The Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 provides that summons under Section 63 shall be served electronically. The section defines the form of the subpoena. It states that any subpoena served electronically must be encrypted and bear the court’s seal or a digital signature. In addition, pursuant to Section 532 of the BNSS, the hearing and trial may be held in electronic mode, using electronic communications or using electronic audio-video means.

Current incidents

Recent cases have highlighted the alarming rise in digital arrest scams targeting people from all walks of life.

Last month, SP Oswal, chairman and managing director of Vardhman Group, was cheated of over Rs 7 crore after he was informed that he was under investigation in a money laundering case. The fraudsters used everything from the CBI to fake documents to the name of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud to convince the 82-year-old that the investigation was genuine.

On September 9, a 35-year-old woman lost Rs 55 lakh after fraudsters posing as customs officials pressured her to transfer money to avoid money laundering charges. The caller claimed that on September 6, customs officials intercepted a package containing 16 fake passports, 58 ATM cards and 40 grams of MDMA, with her details listed as the sender. He further claimed that the Mumbai Police had issued an arrest warrant against her and she had to surrender, according to DCP (IFSO Special Cell) Hemant Tiwari.

In April 2024, a lawyer was subjected to a two-day digital arrest test in which she was forced to strip for a fake “narcotics test.” The scammers threatened to harm her and her family if she did not comply. The 29-year-old victim received a call from a person claiming to be from customer service at international courier giant Fedex. She informed her that her package had been returned and that she needed to speak to the customer service representative. The executive told her that the package contained five passports, three credit cards and 140 synthetic narcotics (MDMA) that had been sent from Mumbai to Thailand in her name. Since the package contained narcotics, she was told that it was on hold and that it had not been posted yet. Then she should contact the cyber crime team in Mumbai to file an identity theft report.

“After I confirmed that I wanted to file an identity theft report, they transferred my call to the cyber crime team in Mumbai. The cyber crime team asked me to download Skype and enter an email ID to chat with them,” she said in her complaint.

The lawyer was forced to transfer Rs. She cost Rs 14 lakh and was subjected to humiliating acts, including being forced to strip for a fake ‘drug test’.

In July, a doctor in Noida lost Rs 60 lakh to fraudsters posing as Trai officials. The caller claimed that a mobile phone number registered in her name was used to purchase illegal obscene videos and that her name had appeared in a money laundering investigation. The fraudster warned them that failure to transfer the money would result in an arrest.








First published: Oct 07, 2024 | 1:04 p.m IS

You may also like...